Military satellite getting Harris Radar

MELBOURNE, Fla., Dec. 17 (UPI) -- U.S. company Sierra Nevada Corp. has given Harris Corp. a $42 million contract for antenna and radar electronics for a military satellite.

The satellite will provide military commanders in the field with timely, high-resolution radar imagery of the Earth's surface regardless of weather conditions or time of day.

Under the 30-month award, Harris will design, build and integrate the synthetic aperture radar satellite payload for Sierra Nevada as part of NASA's Rapid Response Space Works and Modular Space Vehicles program for the U.S. Department of Defense's Operationally Responsive Space Office.

Harris said the payload architecture, designed to support a new family of modular military satellites, offers flexibility to support multiple missions with minimal changes in the basic design. The synthetic aperture radar is the second payload to be developed by the ORS Office and will produce high-resolution radar imagery of the earth's surface, even during darkness or inclement weather.

"Harris has decades of experience producing trusted solutions for satellite antennas and electronics and we are applying this capability to small yet highly advanced payloads," said Bill Gattle, vice president, Space Communications Programs. "This contract brings the benefits of our proven imaging technology to warfighters while also furthering our goal to become a major presence in the small-payload community."